Latest news with #KayneWest
France 24
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Kim Kardashian's next star turn is in a Paris courtroom
The ageing French underworld figures accused of tying her up and threatening her with a gun in the heist during Paris Fashion Week in 2016 reportedly did not know who she really was. Yet few under 50 on the planet with a smartphone could have escaped the rise of one of the world's most famous influencers over the last two decades. Kardashian has been a constant presence in popular culture, an uber-celebrity whose every move commands attention, yet who never seems to be anything other than in complete control. While lesser stars have been consumed by fame, Kardashian remains at the height of her powers, defying criticism that she is really only famous for being famous. It is thought Kardashian's frequent posts about her wealth, personal life and whereabouts may have helped put the robbers on her trail. When they burst into her exclusive Paris suite they shouted that they wanted the $4-million (3.5-million euro) diamond engagement her now ex-husband, US rapper Kayne West, gave her, and that she had shown off on social media. Fame Los Angeles-born Kardashian, 44, spent her childhood on the periphery of fame. Her mother Kris married the 1976 Olympic decathlon winner then known as Bruce Jenner, who has since transitioned to life as Caitlyn, after divorcing her late father Robert Kardashian. He was one of the high-flying lawyers who defended American football legend OJ Simpson in his 1995 murder trial. As a teenage friend of Los Angeles socialites Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, Kardashian garnered the first inklings of her own fame, being photographed with them at popular nightspots and appearing in their reality show "The Simple Life." But it was in 2007 that she was catapulted into popular consciousness when an explicit four-year-old home movie she had made with her then-boyfriend singer Ray J was posted online. Cynics noted the tape appeared as Kardashian and her family were readying to promote "Keeping up with the Kardashians," a fly-on-the-wall reality TV look at the family's life of wealth, luxury, unbelievable cattiness -- and startling mundanity. Planted or not, the footage burned Kardashian onto the public's collective retina. "Keeping up with the Kardashians," which followed the personal and professional trials of sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe and their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, was one of television's longest-running reality shows. For some, it was must-see entertainment offering an insight into celebrity through the prism of a unique family. For others, as The Washington Times once wrote, it was vapid chaff that "illustrates our nation's moral, spiritual and cultural decay." Either way, the show was very, very good for business. A series of enterprises including KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance established Kardashian as a serious player in the fashion and lifestyle sector, propelled by the rise of social media, where she regularly posted titillating thirst traps to build her brand. But it was the apparel label Skims that really brought in the big bucks. The firm unapologetically celebrates the female form, boasting "technically constructed shapewear that enhances your curves." A 2023 investment round valued the company at $4 billion, and Forbes estimates Kardashian's personal net worth is now $1.7 billion. Marriage to Kanye... and divorce Her forays into the fashion and beauty worlds were supercharged by her relationship with West, her third husband. Their marriage in 2014 -- the year of that "Break the Internet" photoshoot involving her shapely bare buttocks and lots of champagne -- was a "historic blizzard of celebrity," according to The New York Times. They flew to France for a pre-wedding rehearsal at the Palace of Versailles, where they arrived in a gold-plated carriage before flying on to Italy to tie the knot. Four children later, the couple's relationship ran into difficulties, as West's behavior became increasingly erratic. His bizarre but truncated 2020 bid for the US presidency degenerated into rambling self-confession. Kardashian appealed for empathy for her husband, who at one time spoke of living with bipolar disorder, but by 2021 was filing for divorce. Kardashian said she has tried to protect the couple's children from the inevitable hurt of their parents' split. "You want to be sensitive because they're just kids, and it's hard to go through no matter what age," she told GQ in 2023. "Ultimately what matters is that kids feel loved and heard." They are certainly seen: Kardashian's 357 million Instagram followers are given regular updates on the children. Since her split with West, Kardashian had a high-profile romance with comedian Pete Davidson, and was linked to NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. Amid the parenting, the television shows, the endless red carpets and the multi-billion-dollar business, Kardashian has also found time to launch a legal career. After embarking on an apprenticeship with a prison reform group, she successfully petitioned US President Donald Trump to pardon a grandmother serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense -- and then visited him at the White House. In 2021 and on her fourth attempt, she passed California's "baby bar" exam, a seven-hour slog for first-year law students with a pass rate of only around 20 percent. Her late father, she mused, "would be so proud." © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Inside the impenetrable £242m nuclear bunker where the rich and famous will shelter during WW3
In the face of a global disaster such as a world war or nuclear attack, the rich and famous will soon have somewhere to retreat. Security company SAFE has a giant bunker planned for Virginia, named 'Aerie', which will house luxury apartments for billionaires to hide out in during a major disaster. This impenetrable fortress' construction costs £242 million and while it may seem like something from a futuristic movie, it is actually set to be built by summer 2026. There is no end of security features inside such as blast-proof walls and ballistic glass. There are also subterranean spaces and a nuclear-proof shelter. However, it's not just practical security that the company strives for. This apocalyptic members' club has been designed to perfection and is brimming with luxury facilities like swimming pools, AI medical suites, an IV therapy room and even a climbing wall. SAFE is sworn to secrecy over their rich and famous clients and was unable to disclose any details due to strict NDAs. However, celebrities such as Kayne West, Kim Kardashian and Tom Cruise all have 'doomsday' style bunkers at their own properties, highlighting the growing trend for this level of security among the elite. Naomi Corbi, Director of Medical Preparedness spoke exclusively to HELLO! about the company, explaining why she thinks SAFE's security is impenetrable. "SAFE's invisible security provides another very important advantage because you can't defeat what you can't see. And there is nothing more intimidating to the bad guys than the unknown." "AERIE is the first ever solution to this age-old problem [security], providing the most effective solution to the threat," says Naomi. So how did they decide which luxury leisure features to add inside Aerie? Naomi reveals that "there are two levels of features; those that are a part of the AERIE Club and those that members have custom tailored for their individual shelters. The AERIE Club features are decided by AERIE's Board and Member input. The tailored features within each member's sanctuary are left to their preferences." The royal family share this concern over safety and they have had panic rooms installed in royal residences for many years now. Global Citizen has previously reported that "Kate and William's royal apartment at Kensington Palace includes a panic room with an air filtration system, guarding against biological warfare, and an escape tunnel." King Charles also has similar style panic rooms at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, installed under the late Queen Elizabeth II when the terrorism threat in the UK had been raised. According to The Times, the structures have "a bullet-resistant and fire-retardant steel core" in the form of "18in thick steel walls," which will protect against all number of threats including "poison gas, bomb attacks or assassination by terrorists". They also have special air systems, battery-powered energy, food supplies and medicine.
